April 20, 1977 Earthquake: Solomon Islands
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Solomon Islands on April 20, 1977 at 23:49:13 UTC, 33 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 20, 1977
- Time
- 23:49:13 UTC
- Place
- Solomon Islands
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.844° S, 160.822° E
- Country
- Solomon Islands
The toll
- Injuries
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On April 20, 1977, at 23:49 UTC, the third of the four earthquakes on the Solomon Islands occurred which caused possible damage and injuries and was felt strongly in the Honiara area. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 3, 1931, San Cristobal Island, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- April 21, 1977, Solomon Islands
- April 30, 1939, Solomon Islands
- August 10, 1988, San Cristobal, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- December 8, 2016, Solomon Islands
- December 15, 1935, Solomon Islands
- August 1, 1961, Solomon Islands
- April 12, 1926, Solomon Islands
- February 7, 1984, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- October 10, 1931, Solomon Islands
- April 20, 1977, Solomon Islands
- June 15, 1966, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
- January 20, 2003, Honiara, San Cristobal, Solomon Islands
- September 27, 1985, Honiara, Guadacanal, Solomon Islands
More
Significant earthquakes of 1977The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1977Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4773.